Excel (e spreadsheets) is the best quantitative planning piece of software.

There is no other planning tool in the software industry that can answer “what if I changed that” as seamlessly as excel.

Planning is not about its absolute numbers but about its sensitivity to inputs and assumptions.

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itishappy 7 hours ago | parent | next [-]

For better or worse...

A single spreadsheet used locally is probably the best imaginable tool for answering "what if I changed that."

That same sheet shared across an organization suddenly becomes a game of "what caused that change."

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Waterluvian 7 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Absolutely. And the data and code being stored all in one file makes it exceptionally nimble for the planning phase. You can generally count on any stakeholder in your org being able to handle it.

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thomascountz 7 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Can you give an example of what you mean by "planning?"

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pphysch 6 hours ago | parent [-]

Budget planning, presumably. How much you are going to spend and on what, and what you need to charge for your products to break even or meet a profit goal.

	▲	xboxnolifes 3 hours ago \| parent \| next [-]
		It doesn't have to be financial. It's anything that can be quantified. Some random sheets I've used, neither made by me nor about business: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1m08haqvTiXKIh4c7y4uM... https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Fo_-HebVr_9PruE94LgT...
	▲	quantummagic 5 hours ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		I don't know how true it is today, but many a rollercoaster has been designed/planned in a spreadsheet. g-force and speed analysis, making sure there aren't any "blackout" points, etc. It allows you to iterate quickly and automatically appreciate the ramification of design decisions.

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dzonga 4 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

can Numbers by Apple ever catch up ??

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luckypeter 2 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

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